Mary MacDonald’s Paralympic dreams appear to be getting closer after winning major medals

Since she was five years old, Mary MacDonald has dreamed of representing Team USA at the Paralympic Games.

After an impressive performance at The Hartford Nationals in Hoover, Alabama, last week, those dreams are getting closer for the 15-year-old Taunton resident.

MacDonald won seven gold medals under the age of 17, including the best lift (50 kg, personal best) and the best total lift (95 kg, personal best) in powerlifting, as well as the 100 metres (0:26.1, personal best), 200 metres (0:54.36, personal best), 400 metres (1:45.91, personal best), 800 metres (3:53.54, personal best) and shot put (3.19 metres, personal best) in track and field at the 67th edition of the national championships organised by Move United for athletes with physical, visual and/or intellectual disabilities.

“I’ve been looking forward to this opportunity for years, especially since some of my friends were doing it. It’s really amazing that I can finally do it,” said MacDonald, who has congenital arthrogryposis multiplex, a condition she has had since birth that affects the joints in her lower body.

But it was her first event, the best lift, where MacDonald made the biggest impact, breaking the previous rookie record of 37kg, which had stood for two years.

“It was amazing,” MacDonald said. “It meant that despite the challenges I face, I was able to break a record and get closer to my biggest goal ever.”

Perhaps even more impressive is that MacDonald, a multi-athlete who loves trying new things, only started powerlifting in March.

“I started liking powerlifting when I was doing CrossFit, and then I realized I could probably do weightlifting competitively,” MacDonald said.

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Shortly after she and her parents Alanna and William Glass began their search, they found the right fit in WOW! Work Out World in Taunton and trainer Jeff Lopes. Since then, MacDonald has been training with Lopes two to three times a week, alternating between lifting machines and bench press.

“The training process has been a long process, but it’s definitely worth it,” MacDonald said. “(After winning gold) I feel strong and I have the power to do more. It makes me feel like I can achieve my goals better than I ever felt.”

Her parents are extremely proud of her achievements.

“We knew she could do it if she put her mind to it, and she has a lot of support from her friends and family,” William Glass said. “I think she has more strength and capability than she even knows, but I think this is more evidence that she can do it when it counts. Not just in athletics, but with everything in life, and I think she’s setting herself up for a very fruitful future.”

MacDonald thanked her coaches and teammates from the HSC Cruisers, based at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, Conn., with whom she traveled to Alabama, along with her teammates from the BP track and field team. MacDonald completed her first season as the Craftsmen’s first para-athlete this spring after competing as an eighth-grader at Taunton High from Freidman Middle School.

“My high school season was awesome,” MacDonald said. “I think it was one of the best seasons I’ve had so far. The coaches were awesome and just having the new team definitely gave me a fresh start and a great season with them.”

As for the future, MacDonald, who is studying digital and visual communications and also has a passion for art and disability advocacy, wants to attend college on an athletic scholarship. As she heads into her sophomore year of high school, her three favorite schools are the University of Illinois, the University of Alabama, and the University of Arizona.

Her biggest sporting goal is of course to realize that dream by being part of the US Paralympic team for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

“I’m excited to see what lies ahead,” MacDonald said. “I will continue to represent the female parasport community, champion inclusive sports programs and show the world that disability does not define you.”